


Just The Way You Are

by 27summer



Category: Glee
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-05
Updated: 2014-04-05
Packaged: 2018-01-18 06:25:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1418324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/27summer/pseuds/27summer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a fight with Kurt, Quinn comforts Rachel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just The Way You Are

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for 5x14 New New York, preview for 5x15 Bash.
> 
> If you’re a fan of Quinn/Puck or the Rachel/Kurt friendship, I’d suggest skipping this. I tried not to bash any characters but I’m not exactly a fan of either relationship.

Quinn spotted Rachel sitting on the ground outside of Kurt’s room and settled down next to her. “Hey, what are you doing?”

“Just thinking.” Rachel avoided Quinn’s eyes.

“I can see that. But why aren’t you in with Kurt?” Quinn patted her shoulder, hoping Rachel would look at her.

“Blaine’s in with him. I’m thinking of going home. I’d probably just be in the way.” Rachel stood up, holding out a hand to help Quinn stand. “Besides, I’m positive he doesn’t want to see me anyway.”

“What, no. You guys are best friends.” Quinn gave chase when Rachel took off. She finally caught up to her just outside of the hospital doors. “That was hardly fair.”

Rachel rubbed her forehead. “It’s been a tough week. I don’t want to talk about it, okay? You can go back to New Haven.”

“Sure. That’s going to happen.” Quinn took Rachel’s hand. “We’re going to get something to drink and we’re going back to the loft and you can tell me why you think Kurt doesn’t want to see you.”

“Quinn-”

“Nope. Don’t want to hear it.” Quinn ignored Rachel’s protests as she dragged her away.

\-------------------

“Okay,” Quinn said, setting onto the couch next to Rachel, cup of coffee in her hand. “Start talking, I want to know.”

“I- we had a fight.”

“Oh, Rachel, everyone fights with friends. It’s not the end of the world.”

“No, it was bad. He said I don’t think of anyone but myself.” Rachel sniffled, her eyes wet. “I’m too focused on Funny Girl and my role.”

“Of course you are. This is your big break. And it’s getting closer. You’re nervous. Why shouldn’t you be selfish right now?”

“Kurt doesn’t think I have any reason to be. He said my life is easy.”

“Oh my God.” Quinn rolled her eyes.

“You agree with him, don’t you?”

“No, I don’t. I think he’s dead wrong,” Quinn said firmly, setting her coffee and Rachel’s tea down so that she could hold Rachel’s hands.

“But-”

“No.” Quinn covered Rachel’s mouth with her hand. “He’s wrong. I’m not saying you aren’t self-absorbed or over the top. Sometimes, you get so focused on you own goals that you forget everyone else.”

“See? Even last week, Artie said-”

“I’m not done yet. I don’t know what Artie said and I don’t care. I don’t care what Kurt or anyone says. There’s nothing wrong with being a little selfish. Especially now. You have the right to be selfish about yourself. Not only that, you have the right to enjoy your life.” Quinn smiled. “Rachel, this is your dream. You should be so excited.”

“You don’t think I’m too dramatic?” Rachel asked.

“Of course you are.” Quinn squeezed Rachel’s hands. “But that’s not a bad thing. You’re spectacular, Rachel. How many 19 year olds are starring on Broadway? You worked hard for this. You earned it.”

Rachel tilted her head, smiling a little. “I- You make sense. But Kurt-”

Almost involuntarily, Quinn made a noise in her throat. “I realize he’s your best friend, but despite what he thinks, Kurt Hummel is not the arbiter of who has it rough in the world.”

“Quinn-”

“Come on, Rachel. You know he’s superior. He once told me the world never stopped loving me.” Quinn laughed bitterly. “I did get hit by a truck right after, so maybe he had a point.”

“Oh, Quinn.” Rachel didn’t know what she should say to that.

“Don’t say anything. I’m honestly not trying to bad mouth Kurt.” Quinn shrugged. “I just don’t want you to feel bad because of him. He’s not always right.”

“I feel so bad,” Rachel whispered, resting her head on the back of the couch. “Kurt’s in the hospital. It’s- it’s a mess.”

“It is, but you didn’t put him there,” Quinn pointed out.

“I know.” Rachel looked down at their linked hands. “You know, it was sweet of you to come out. You and Kurt aren’t that close.”

“No, but I thought you might need some support.” Quinn blushed furiously.

“Thank you. I- I really do need somebody.”

“I’d do anything for you, Rachel.” Quinn gazed at Rachel, taking in the stress lines on her face. She didn’t want to make things worse for her but she couldn’t stay silent. “You mean so much to me. I know we haven’t been close since graduation but I want us to be.”

“I want that, too,” Rachel said. “We both got caught up in our new lives but I always meant to come see you.”

“Hey, we can fix that now.”

Rachel nodded. “Sure. Unless you’re too busy with Noah.”

“Yeah, that’s over.”

“Really? You two seemed so certain.”

Quinn groaned, pulling her knees up and pressing her face into them. “That was a mistake. Puck and I got caught up in nostalgia. But there are reasons we didn’t work things out in high school and those reasons haven’t changed.”

“I thought so but you seemed so happy that I didn’t want to say anything.”

“I wish you would have,” Quinn replied, taking a peek at Rachel. The other girl didn’t seem to be upset with her so that was nice.

“Why did you do it? You always said you want to leave Lima behind. Even if you were upset about Biff, why try with Noah?” Rachel asked, honestly curious about what Quinn was thinking. She never could figure her out.

“It’s stupid,” Quinn muttered, hiding her face in her knees again.

“Nothing about you is stupid.”

Quinn realized Rachel wasn’t going to drop this. And of course, she could never hide away from her like she could with everyone else. “I don’t want to get into all the details but Biff was my attempt to settle into the life I always thought I’d have. Rich, handsome boyfriend. When it didn’t work, I thought why not? Puck loves me, maybe I could make myself love him. But I couldn’t. And he didn’t really love me, either. He called a month later to tell me he’d slept with someone.”

“Quinn, I’m sorry. That’s awful. I’ll kill him.”

“Don’t bother.” Quinn lifted her head, surprised to see how angry Rachel was on her behalf. “It’s Puck. I should’ve expected it. Besides, I slept with someone, too.”

“What?”

“I- I don’t want Puck or Biff. Or Sam or any other guy. It’s time I admitted it.” Quinn watched Rachel carefully, waiting for her words to sink in.

“Oh. You- you don’t want a guy,” Rachel repeated Quinn’s words, not wanting to push her.

“I don’t. I’m gay.” Once the words were out, Quinn felt a sense of relief.

“I’m proud of you,” Rachel said, once her moment of speechlessness passed.

“It’s not really something to be proud of. I mean, people come out everyday. It’s no big deal.” Quinn felt herself turn red and had to turn away.

“No. it is.” Rachel scooted close to her, placing a hand on Quinn’s leg. “That must have been hard for you to say.”

“It really wasn’t.” Quinn finally met Rachel’s eyes, glad to see nothing but support there. “The hard part was all the ridiculous things I did to deny it. Not just Puck or Biff but even back in high school. Once I accepted it, life got easier. And telling you? That was just about the easiest part.”

“I’m glad you trust me.” Rachel rubbed Quinn’s cheeks. “If you ever want to talk, I’ll listen. Anytime.”

“Thanks.” Quinn leaned into her touch, trapping Rachel’s hand against her shoulder. “You’re so amazing, Rachel. I don’t know what I did to deserve a friend like you.”

“I’m not so great.” Rachel couldn’t help but flash back to her argument with Kurt.

“Hey, stop. I thought we’d settled this. No more beating yourself up.”

“But maybe I do need to change a little. Be less selfish.”

Quinn shook her head. “I’m not telling you that you’re perfect. Being less selfish is probably a good idea. But your ambition is not a bad thing. Putting yourself first isn’t a bad thing. You’re in a tough business, Rach. No one else is going to be looking out for you. Sometimes, you have to be cutthroat. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

“No maybes about it.” Quinn stopped unsure if she should continue. She never sugarcoated the truth with Rachel, she couldn’t start now. “I know that you love Kurt but don’t take his word as gospel.”

“Quinn-”

“Let me finish, then you can yell at me.” Quinn waited for Rachel to look at her. “Kurt isn’t a bad guy, but when he doesn’t get his way, he gets mean and pointed with his insults. He ices you out until you fall in line. It’s not right, Rachel.”

“He doesn’t do that,” Rachel said quietly even as she flashed back to all the times he did.

“Yes, he does. And you want so badly to be his friend that you give in.” Quinn tapped playfully on Rachel’s leg. “Compromise isn’t bad but when you’re the only one doing it, it’s too much. You shouldn’t have to change who you are to make him happy.”

“You’re right. I know you’re right. I just don’t want to lose anyone else.” Rachel’s eyes began to fill with tears.

“Oh.” Quinn pulled Rachel to her, embracing her tightly. “I know it’s hard but you can’t change for someone else. If Kurt or whoever can’t accept you for who you are- Even when you’re being impossible- is he really your friend?”

“No. I really don’t want to push down my personality for someone else.” Rachel burrowed her face further into Quinn’s neck.

“So don’t. Anyone who rejects you doesn’t matter.” Quinn rubbed circles on Rachel’s back. “You should be happy. You deserve to be happy.”

“I do. This should be the best time of my life.” Rachel scoffed as she thought back to last couple of weeks. “I gave up my town car because I felt guilty about Artie having a hard time.”

“What? That’s crazy. Why should you feel guilty because Artie got robbed?”

“I was being a little obnoxious about everything.”

“Fine, apologize for that. But don’t ride the smelly subway just because Artie’s not lucky enough to have a town car.”

“The subway’s not so bad,” Rachel protested. “In fact, I feel like a real New-”

“”You missing my point,” Quinn interrupted, a smile escaping at Rachel’s words. “Don’t play the martyr when you don’t have to. There’s nothing fun about depriving yourself of something good. Take advantage of what you’ve been given.”

“You’re so smart.” Rachel pulled back little, pressing her cheek to Quinn’s.

“I am. Maybe you should listen to me.” Quinn bit back a groan when Rachel pressed her body against her own again. Quinn finally noticed the position they were in and it was pretty awkward. Rachel was basically straddling her, legs on either side of her waist. Quinn felt every place their bodies were touching. It was almost more than she could take.

“You okay? You look a little flushed.”

“I’m fine. It’s just hot in here.” Quinn gulped as she met Rachel’s eyes. Rachel always took her breath away.

“Are you sure?” Rachel ran her eyes over Quinn’s face, checking for signs of distress. Satisfied that Quinn really was fine, Rachel allowed herself to notice how beautiful Quinn was. Her eyes were as dark as Rachel had ever seen them. She’d had these thoughts before but their proximity increased them. She couldn’t resist it anymore. It made her want to get even closer than she already was. Before she had a chance to chicken out, Rachel followed her gut. She leaned down, kissing Quinn with everything she had.

It took a moment for Quinn to realize what was happening but once she did, she surrendered to the kiss. Tangling a hand into Rachel’s hair, she angled her head. It was amazing how perfectly they fit together, how good Rachel felt. It was everything she’d ever dreamed it would be. “Holy crap.”

“Was that okay? It was presumptuous of me to assume you’d want to kiss me. You just looked so pretty. I couldn’t help myself. I-” Rachel was cut off by Quinn’s lips on hers. 

“I didn’t mind. It was wonderful,” Quinn said against Rachel’s mouth. “I’ve wanted this for a long time. Longer than I’ve realized.”

“Yeah?” Rachel placed several small kisses on her face, unable to stop herself.

“Mmm hmm.” Quinn closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of Rachel in her lap.

“Good.” Rachel knew they were moving a little fast but she couldn’t stop herself. Kissing Quinn had crossed her mind on several occasions but she’d never thought the other girl would reciprocate. Now that she knew she did, she planned to enjoy it.

“You’re really good at that,” Quinn murmured, chasing Rachel’s lips when she pulled back. “Really, really good.”

“You, too.” Rachel couldn’t help but grin at the dumbstruck look on Quinn’s face. “You- you’re so pretty, Quinn. I can’t believe this is happening.”

“You can’t? I’m the one who’s been dreaming about this for years.” Quinn hid in Rachel’s neck when she realized what she said.

“Years? Really?” Rachel pushed Quinn’s hair away, scratching the back of her neck.

“Uh-huh.” Quinn purred into Rachel’s touch. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She wanted more but she was afraid that all of this was in her head. She just knew she’d wake up at her dorm room, wet and wanting. “I didn’t really understand it at first, I spent so much time ignoring my feelings for you. But it’s been you for so many years.”

Rachel couldn’t stop touching her, touching Quinn all over. Her back, her waist, her neck. She couldn’t get enough. “I- I want you, too. I can’t say that I know what it means. I can’t make any promises. But you’re magnificent, Quinn. I don’t want to stop.”

The smile that spread over Quinn’s face was breathtaking. She never knew that she could feel like this. She’d never thought that Rachel would ever feel even half of what she felt. She didn’t want to stop, either. “I don’t need promises of forever, Rachel. I just need you to be honest with me. I’m going to put it all out here. I want to be with you. I care about you. If you’re willing, I want us to try a relationship.”

“I want that, too.” Rachel captured Quinn’s wandering hand and brought it to her lips. “I care about you so much.”

“I never thought you so that to me.” Quinn couldn’t resist stealing a kiss, even though she knew that had more to talk about. “Um, we should probably talk.”

“About what?” Rachel asked, trying to withstand her desire to lean in for another kiss.

“How do you think this is going to work?” Quinn could feel her heart pound as she waited for Rachel’s response.

“Well, you should probably know that I don’t do casual. I know we’ll be in separate places but it’s just not in me. We’ll figure it out, though. It’ll be hard but we’ll talk to each other every day and Skype and make visits when we can.” Rachel chewed on her lip as she thought. “I’ll miss you, thought.”

“I’ll miss you, too.” Quinn kissed Rachel’s cheek, even though she wasn’t that confident. “But we can do this.”

“We can.” Rachel grinned at her. “We’re strong people.”

Quinn nodded, still a little unsure. “You know, it’s not that simple. They’ll be weekends I can’t come here and we’ll miss phone calls. I don’t want us to hate each other.”

“I could never hate you.”

“That’s true. Everything I used to do to you proves that.”

Rachel shook her head, ignoring Quinn’s mention of their past. “I’m not stupid, Quinn. Or naïve. I know a few kisses aren’t a lifetime commitment. Maybe this won’t work and I’ll be disappointed. But I think I’d be more disappointed if we didn’t try.”

“I know I would.” Quinn finally let go of the last doubts she had and submitted to her feelings to Rachel. She was in this, no matter what happened. She couldn’t turn away from this.

“That settles it.” Rachel jumped up, pulling Quinn with her.

“What are you doing?” Quinn asked as she followed Rachel to her bedroom.

“We’re going to bed.”

“Whoa. You move fast.”

“Yeah. You got a problem with that?”

“Not at all. I love everything about you.” Quinn stared in amazement at Rachel’s take charge attitude.

Rachel flopped onto her back and smirked up at her, crooking her finger. “You want to come to bed?”

“Yeah, I do.” Quinn matched Rachel’s smirk and settled onto the bed with her. It would be a long night.


End file.
